TEST REPORT

Terrestrial HDTV Receiver for South America

Skyworth HI-11 PVR ISDB-T

Easy operation with all the important features Enormous channel memory for storage of numerous ISDB-T channels Manual channel scan even finds weak channels 5V output for electronic room antennas All available transponders preprogrammed

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TEST REPORT

Terrestrial HDTV Receiver for South America

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10-1 1/201 1
Skyworth HI-11 PVR ISDB-T Unkompliziert zu bedienender terrestrischer Receiver fr Sdamerika

The HD Box

SDTV and HDTV reception via ISDB-T

When you see the Skyworth HI-11 PVR for the first time, you see a box that was designed with simplicity in mind. Its not unnecessarily fancy or flamboyant and there are no flaps or buttons that stick out. Skyworth designed this set-top-box in such a way that it would be as inconspicuous as possible and yet perform its duties effortlessly and in an uncomplicated manner. The HI-11 PVR doesnt even have a display; theres just a single red LED that indicates Standby mode. The rear panel on the other hand is nicely equipped. In addition to the ISDB-T antenna input and looped-through F outputs, theres also 6 RCA jacks for stereo audio, composite video and YUV. Last but not least, youll also find an HDMI output as well as a USB 2.0 interface. Theres no main power switch. The included remote control left us with a very good impression. All of the buttons are relatively large and clearly labeled. Thanks to the plastic coating, your fingers will glide across the buttons but wont slip off them when the buttons are pressed. All in all, we were very impressed with the workmanship of the HI-11 PVR despite the fact that the box looked rather bare due to the lack of a display. Immediately after turning on the box for the first time, the user is greeted by the Installation Assistant. The first thing it asks is to select the correct installation location (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) as well as the onscreen display (OSD) language (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Polish and Farsi). As you can see, even if youre a foreigner living in South America, theres a good chance the Skyworth receiver will support your native tongue. Oddly enough, despite all the settings that are possible at this point, the user cannot select the resolution of the output signal here; this can only be done at the end of the installation in the main menu. But when you get to that point you can choose between 16:9 and 4:3 or set it to automatically switch between the two modes. Once the basic settings have been taken care of, the

receiver automatically starts a channel scan of the entire frequency spectrum with the press of the OK button. It completed this scan in just 90 seconds and found all the available regional ISDB-T channels. Although not as many channels are available via ISDB-T as there are via satellite, it still pays to have a look in the HI-11 PVRs settings menu after the channel scan so that you can organize the channel list (maximum 1000 entries) to your personal tastes. Skyworth has integrated all of the necessary options very nicely into the receiver. Thanks to the as many as eight group oriented Favorites lists, each family member can store their favorite channels individually for fast recall at a later time. We also appreciated the fact that the manufacturer didnt forget about a manual frequency scan; theres always the possibility that the antenna may not have

been perfectly aligned when the first channel scan was performed. With the help of the signal strength and signal quality displays in the manual scan menu, this can quickly be corrected. Theres even a separate menu section with a level display just for adjusting the antenna. With the channel scan the user can choose the desired frequency band (UHF or VHF) as well as the channel number. The manufacturer put some thought into the receiver here as well; less experienced users dont have to worry about the painstaking task of entering in the correct frequency; it can easily be selected from a nicely compiled list. Skyworth even thought of those users that own smaller ISDB-T antennas with active signal amplification; +5V is supplied to the amplifier directly through the coaxial cable linking the antenna and the receiver. And just like the DVB-T standard, the ISDB-T standard also includes additional information in the transmission such as the date and time. Naturally, the HI-11 PVR can access this extra information. Depending on the
1. Automatic channel scan 2. Manual scan 3. Language settings 4. The receiver supports all of the critical video output resolutions 5. Time setting via the ISDB-T signal

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region, the time difference from GMT can be individually programmed; even daylight savings time (summer time) can be activated or deactivated with the push of just one button. To round things off, its even possible to adjust the on-screen display to your personal tastes. You can adjust the OSD transparency between 0 and 40% so that if a menu page or some other blended-in function is activated, the current TV program remains visible in the background. The Skyworth receiver can deliver the video signal to the output in a variety of formats and resolutions: PALM, PAL-N, 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p 50 Hz, 720p 60 Hz, 1080i 50 Hz and 1080i 60 Hz are available. After all of the settings have been taken care of, you can exit the menu and the receiver will switch over to the first receivable channel. An Info bar appears along the bottom edge of the screen that reveals the channel name but, of course, only if the provider makes this data available. And again, just like with DVB-T, in ISDB-T you can also access a complete digital programming guide with the HI-11 PVR up to seven days in advance; the data appears after pushing the EPG button. Since this receiver includes a PVR function, it makes it a lot of fun to mark your favorite programs for record6. Eight separate Favorites lists are available 7. Info bar display 8. The manufacturer also integrated three video games 9. Media player with M3 playback and picture gallery 10. Picture display

ing. The days of muddling through the programming of a video recorder and setting up your receiver in advance are over. If a channel has more than one audio track, the HI-11 PVR can switch between them by simply pushing the yellow function button; even teletext can be effortlessly activated and displayed. Despite the limited availability of programming via ISDB-T, the search function within the channel list is worth mentioning. With its help, every available channel can be easily located and accessed by pushing a single button on the remote control and entering the first letters of the channel name. After our detailed test, we noticed that a dedicated button on the remote control to switch the video output resolution was missing; ideally, this is a feature that every receiver should have. The video and audio quality of the Skyworth HI-11 PVR was quite convincing during our tests. It can handle SD signals as well as HD signals without any difficulties and can quickly switch between channels at a speed of just over one second. Even the Skyworth manufactured tuner performed admirably and can even acceptably display weaker ISDB-T signals with the help of error correction. Thanks to the USB 2.0 interface, the new Skyworth receiver does more than just receive signals; it can record programs on external storage media such as a hard drive, USB stick or an SD card. And that important tel-

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ephone call wont get in the way of your TV enjoyment; the Time Shift function lets you pause the program your watching, handle the telephone call and then continue watching that program without missing a beat. Since its only MPEG-2 signal coding that comes into play with ISDB-T, the external storage media can easily be linked to a PC and before you know it, the data can be transferred to a DVD. Naturally, the receiver can also format the external storage device in either NTFS or FAT; thats one less step that has to be performed through the PC. Slowly but surely its becoming standard for decent PVR receivers to also provide the ability to playback MP3 music or JPEG pictures from an external storage device. The HI-11 PVR doesnt disappoint here either: it can handle the job given to it without any problems and without errors. It can therefore be used as a true blue MP3 jukebox and can also be used to show off your latest vacation pictures to family and friends.

To top it all off, the receiver also comes with three integrated video games: Tetris, Othello and Sudoku. The receivers firmware can also be updated via a USB stick. The option to upgrade the firmware via an RS-232 interface exists in the software but the lack of an actual RS-232 port would make that task rather difficult. In all likelihood, this menu option was left over from a firmware version that was originally meant for another device. The same is true for the Conax card reader listed in the Information menu that in reality doesnt exist. The Skyworth HI-11 PVR is a solid, reliable ISDB-T receiver that can easily handle both SDTV and HDTV signals. It can be customized to the individual demands of the user and comes packaged in a decent yet unremarkable housing. Thanks to the PVR function, the user can take the big step into the age of digital recording and with the Time Shift function lets you interrupt your favorite TV or radio program without missing a thing.

Expert Opinion

High Channel Memory Capacity Fast Channel Switching Time Very Easy to Use USB Interface for PVR The firmware refers in some cases to features that are not actually available in the receiver itself
Juan Carlos Duarte

TELE-satellite Test Center Chile

TECHNICAL
DATA
Manufacturer Email sales Internet Model Function: Channel memory Frequency lists EPG HDTV support Input frequency 1000 Preprogrammed for UHF and VHF band yes yes (up to 1080i in MPEG-2) UHF (473-887 MHz) VHF (177 bis 213 MHz) Skyworth Overseas Ltd, Unit 1601-4 Westland Centre, 20 Westland Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong sales@skyworth.com www.skyworth.com.hk HI-11 PVR Receiver with PVR function

ENERGY
DIAGRAM

Apparent Power

Active Power

Mode Active StandBy

Apparent Active Factor 13.5 W 8W 0.59 10 W 6W 0.6

First 15 minutes: Active operation with recording and playback plus live TV; Second 15 minutes: Standby

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